Empress of the Darkness
by Lady Rory Hunt
Summary: Ginny Weasley is a Lion with a dark secret
1. Normality

Ginny Weasley sat in the Potions Class on a seemingly normal day when she noticed that something. All of the Slytherins 5th year and up were treating her differently. It was noticeable enough that Luna had mentioned it and Neville had began to become more important and protective. Ginny had begun hexing all the slytherins who approach.

"So.. do you know why everyone is acting weird?"

Ginny looked at Neville and sighed. Neville was trying to understand why they would treat Ginny like that.

"I don't know."

That was all that was said between the two. Ginny has a secret: in her first year, Ginny had absorbed a piece of Tom Riddle's souls. She had sensed that something had changed. Pansy Parkinson and her younger sister, Violetta, had made it a point to discourage bullying by saying 'our leader wouldn't…..' and the bullying would stop. Violetta was acting like a crazy person. Ginny was going to Transfiguration when Draco approached her. He brushed against her tapped her two times and walked into an empty class room. That was a sign from the war that he wanted to meet so she did.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle is back and wants _you_ ginny," Draco said softly and factually. Ginny faced the window, took out a cigarette, lit it, and faced the window. Draco observed her for a moment, the way she held herself, the fact that she had a special kind. The kind that was common among his grandfather and his set.

"I felt like that since the summer. I thought it was a figment of my _imagination_ but that was quick to pass when I saw him as I went aboard the train. I saw him, could feel him, and he is young. He is the Tom I _know_ not Lord Voldemort. I became more suspicious when slytherins became more nicer."

She drew in a long puff and held it in for a moment or two. She released it. In that moment he was reminded of what his grandfather used to say.

" _Our dark lord loved a cigarette called La Estelle de Martinez. He loved having it in his throat for a period of time. He could go through a pack of day. He liked going outside and smoking in the back of a green house. But if he couldn't do that, behind the portrait of Elizabeth Wydeville he would smoke. He had one hand his right holding the cigarette and the left on his elbow."_

Much like Ginny, she inherited those simple traits from him, draco thought rather tratiously. A part of him wondered if Ginny could calm him, his views, and make him more temperate. But that was a big if.

"Do you…."

"Love him? Tom. I guess…" Ginny paused before allowing herself to answer. "Yes. I do. I have always been a little _in_ love with _Tom_ not his idealogy or _Voldemort._ But… that was long ago."

Ginny looked at him through her eyelashes and watched. It was a slytherin move, Draco noted, answering that question, knowing he would have to explain why? Why did he care? Draco did not know.

"Are you thinkingI can change him?"

Neither acknowledged it but in the lack of acknowledgment both had their answer.


	2. Looks and Potions

Ginny stared at Draco just comprehending why he wanted to know. Draco knew that look, it was a look that many associated with slytherins. It was the ability to read a situation and evaluate it without asking questions. Nobody did it better than the Dark Lord.

"I don't know if I can change him," Ginny began "But.. might want to control your thoughts a little more."

She looked at him once more before leaving. She did not go the way they had came but went towards steps that were hidden. Ginny knew that they would lead to Tom's old rooms, the head boy and girl of 1940s room. She wanted to be alone and no-one went there anymore. She opened the hidden door to the room which was hidden by Phineas Nigellus Black. Ginny looked around the room and it was clean as though Tom would appear there in any moment. She sat there and digested all the information.

A couple hours later,

The Carrows had called all of the students to the great hall. Ginny stood with the lifeless Gryffindor close to the happiest house, Slytherin. The great rivalry caused amusement for the Death Eaters but no one dared to tease or taunt her. They were in a great circle. The Four houses had two that were the center point. For Gryffindor, it was Neville Longbottom (who also begun not getting teased) and Ginny Weasley, For Raveclaw, it was Michael Corner and Luna Lovegood, For Hufflepuff, it was Lilith Shafiq and Jules McDonald and slytherin, it was Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson.

In the center was a cauldron that had white smoke brewing out of it. A dagger was beside it. As though drawn to it, Ginny approached.

"Ginny What are you doing?" Ginny couldn't answer that. None of the students noticed the dark lord and his men. Ginny took the dagger and cut her hand. She squeezed her hand over the smoking cauldron and a few drops poured into it.

"If this is what I believe it to be," Ginny captivated her audience "This will show my compatiablity with someone. It is a way to show true compatiblity, an old pure blood tradition."

Out of the cauldron came a snake made of smoke.

"This… well expected." Ginny stated softly looking at the snake and noting its incredible likeness to Nagini. She looked at Draco who seemed to stiffen then to Neville who stiffened.

"Tom." Ginny whispered feeling his presence. She found him, hidden in darkness and did something that only his followers and anyone in his presence would do. She _bowed_ and exposed her neck.

A sign of respect.

The moment she did that. All the other houses looked and found why she was bowing and automatically did the same.


	3. Purest Marriage

Tom came out of shadows. He walked smoothly towards his little _ginny_ with no stopping. Tom had known that Ginny would understand what the cauldron was for. He had described it, with great detail, but he did not know that Nagini or rather a smoke version. He felt power when she bowed, exposing her neck. Her _weakness._

He had the room surrounded, a hundered death eaters, but that did not matter.

"The potion is called the Purest Marriage. It will help create a strong bond between two houses or your family." Ginny felt him come close to her.

"Come to the Old Head Rooms from 1943-1944." He walked away.

-Meanwhile-

Ginny left to follow him to the rooms. She had just been there.

"Tom." She said slipping rather quickly into an old routine.

"Come in." He replied simply.

Ginny looked around the room and said "I came here earlier. I thought it looked extraordinarily clean. Cleaner than most of the older rooms in the castle. I believed that it would be as though you…" She pauses for a moment then snorts "would walk in."

Tom stood there in his full glory. He looked to be 5 years older than her meaning that he was 21 or 20.

"You knew."

It wasn't a question but a statement. Of course, Ginny had heard rumors of a young black haired ruler who had made it point to keep all the red heads he came across alive and well, who punished those who directly disobeyed his order. His simple order. Ginny had not seen him but felt him. She felt a stirring.

"Of course I knew."

Ginny looked at Tom and said "We exchanged a soul."


	4. Cigarettes

Ginny sat on the couch and looked at Tom. He walked over to Ginny and placed a hand on her leg. Ginny looked around and thought of what to say about it. It was only the two of them alone. Ginny said "So Hogwarts has fallen."Hogwarts not being able to keep the death eaters out was a hint that the world was changing.

Tom did not tell her anything but merely looked at her once over. Ginny saw a movement by the door and a long strand of platinum blonde hair. A long face that was aristocratic and a scowl that seemed to be always in place. He had eyes only of his master and barely looked over at Ginny.

"My lord, " Lucius kept his silver eyes on Tom.

Ginny moved towards the window and produced a cigarette. She kept her eyes on the outside world and opened the window.

"Do not open the window"

"You can not smoke in here, the window has to be open to make the smell of smoke go away."

Ginny held herself and stood focused on the cigarette. The smell, the taste, rather than the world on the whole.


	5. Ever-Change Potion Names

Lucius stared at his leader with heavily lidded as Ginny became absorbed in her smoking. Tom did not say anything to Lucius for a few moments until Ginny said "Well you are interrupting for what." Lucius shook his regal looking head like a lion which he would hate to be compared to. "Talk" Ginny said lowly.

Tom failed to say a word but watched as Ginny became more and more irritated. Before she could be louder, he said "Yes, Malfoy talk" as he watched her lit up a cigarette. He saw his influence over her.

"Well,My Lord, it is of-"

"He does not want to talk in front of me, I get it. I am going to see Draco, Luna, and Neville" Ginny said as she collected herself before leaving.

A short time later, Ginny had collected her friends and sat in an empty courtyard. They were sitting in a semicircle, each thinking but not saying a word.

"The Dark Lord might wait to take me but he has access-" Ginny began quietly. "The wards of the school are down, the safety of the school- no longer."

Ginny looked around the group slowly in the eyes and said "We all knew this when the Carrows took control, when Dumbledore…." _the fool_ was left unsaid "left."

Neville looked more and more like a leader thought Draco said two words that none thought he would say. "My Lady," without hesitation or sarcasm. Ginny, at first, looked angry, then stunned, and then resigned- as though doomed to hearing that.

"Whatever happens, if I stay or if I go, I want you three with me. I want to protect you and you to protect me. Draco, your father was urgently trying to talk to the dark lord- do you know why?"

"I have an idea, the potion-" Draco looked at the group and said "It is a marriage law in the making. Lucius used to rant and rave about it saying why couldn't he marry Josette Lestrange."

"The potion is called the _Truest Marriage_ and it is about compatiably and not necessary love. It is meant to be a strengthening in the pureblood of your family." Ginny added noticing the looks of confusion (Luna and Neville) and the look of repressed anger (Draco).

"So how will we figure out our-"

"We go- now- alone and put our blood into the cauldron." Luna said.

They all got up and went for a walk. They opened the doors to the great hall. Luna went up first,cut her hand, and dropped blood into the cauldron. The smoke formed the shape of a dragon.

Draco went and did the same thing. Out came a hare. Draco looked at Luna stunned and Luna just shrugged and said "Well,at least, we know eachother better" before _flouncing_ away. Draco turned and said "Of all people-" before gesturing at Neville who had been stunned and did the same thing. The shape was a phoenix then a snake then nothing- it was as though Neville had two great loves.


End file.
